Page 26 of Shameless With Him
“Okay, wedding plans?”
I cleared my throat, forcing my gaze off his. Right. Wedding plans.
“So, bachelor party?”
“John doesn’t want strippers,” he said quickly.
“I didn’t think he would tell her, but that’s good to know.” I made a note. “What are your plans?”
“We were going to see a game.”
“A game?”
“I know it’s vague, we haven’t actually started the plans yet,” Caleb said, wincing. “I’ve been busy.”
“I’m going to just tell Lacey that you’re still formulating, and the plans will come. Because if I come back with nothing, she will kill me.”
“There will be a game if we can get tickets. And dinner. And probably whiskey. But not too much because John can’t hold this alcohol, and I’m not a fan of getting drunk.”
“So…whiskey, cigars, and some form of sports ball.”
“Yes, but maybe not the cigars, because John again, gets sick.”
“He’s so cute.”
“Yeah, he’s adorable.” He said the words deadpan, and I laughed, shaking my head.
It was nice having a conversation, feeling like this was a date even though it wasn’t. I just liked him. We went over a few things for the wedding, and by the time the platter of sushi came out, I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe. I liked this version of Caleb, the easygoing one who paid attention wholeheartedly to whoever was in front of him.
“Caleb?” our waitress asked as she set down the platter. “I didn’t know you were here. You should have sat in my section.” She leaned down and bussed a kiss on his cheek.
He smiled up at her, and I sank back into my chair.
“Hey there, Ana. Have you met Zoey? She’s friends with my sister, Amelia.”
“Oh, hi there. I hope you guys enjoy your meal. Caleb’s great, isn’t he?”
Ana didn’t touch him again, didn’t lay claim to him, but I wanted to crawl under the table and die.
Friend of Amelia’s. Nothing more, and apparently, a whole lot less. Of course, his ex-girlfriend would be here. Of course, there would be a woman near that he had been with in some capacity. There were probably a thousand of them lurking in the shadows, just waiting to pop up and say hello.
Ana didn’t look the least bit territorial. She also didn’t look like she wanted Caleb. It was just a hello, and then a goodbye.
“He’s great. Thank you for the food.” Did I sound snotty? I hoped not.
It wasn’t Ana’s fault that I had all this in my head. But what if we’d actually been on a date? Ana had kissed him hello. Something I hadn’t liked. But, apparently, to the rest of the world, we didn’t look like we were on a date. And we weren’t, so the point was moot.
“Enjoy your meal, and let me know if you need anything. It was good to see you, Caleb.” She waved and then walked off towards her section.
“So, did you want to go salmon or tuna first?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“Ana is married. Ironically, I dated both her and her wife, Sasha—separately. I introduced them.”
My eyes widened, and I mixed the wasabi into my soy sauce. “I didn’t ask.”
“You didn’t have to. It was kind of weird that she came up like that. Even though maybe to a casual observer, it looked like we were on a date and not working.”
My gaze shot up, and I almost spilled the soy sauce out of my bowl. “Yeah, that was a little weird. But, like you said, we’re not on a date, so it’s not a big deal. Anyway, tuna or salmon?” I was talking very quickly. Caleb studied me for a minute before reaching out with his chopsticks.